


Drowning

by begin_fiction



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller Are Best Friends, Child Death, Drowning, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/begin_fiction/pseuds/begin_fiction
Summary: Alec has a nightmare. Once again, about that.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Daisy Hardy, Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller
Kudos: 17





	Drowning

**Author's Note:**

> So.. I watched this series a few days ago, because it got my interest and holy did I love it, hell I even finished it in 4 days. Broadchurch is amazing, every bit of it. I love it a lot. A great series!
> 
> Sandbrook was something that got my interest aswell(hey, Alec never let go about the whole water thing even in season 1) and I just.. felt sad because of Pippa and what she had gone through. Poor girl..

The first thing he feels against him is the water.

The bloody water. He hates it. Everything of it. 

He doesn't want to go, he wants to leave the water, go away from it, go away and go to the station or-

He doesn't. 

Instead, his legs carry him and he obeys. He keeps going, how hard it is. He desperately wants to stop, he _really_ wants to stop, but it doesn't. 

He's getting deeper and deeper, his ankles all full with water. He doesn't even know what he'a doing until..

until he realizes what he is actually doing.

His hands are moving, his arms, and they pick up something.

_Someone._

It's her.

It's Pippa.

Her gray patterned pajamas, her hair wet, her pale face so young and eyes closed, her body being limp.

He's carrying Pippa.

His heart feels like it would explode out of his chest any second. He doesn't want to relive this again.

He almost drowns, too, but he could save himself at the last moment.

Pippa, still in his arms. He feels her weight, and he is bloody _sick._

Pippa wasn't even moving a bit. Not even opening her eyes, not even breathing.

She was dead.

And at that moment, her face changed.

Instead, her face turned a little older, and her hair changed too.

It went from brown to blond.

He's not carrying Pippa anymore.

He's carrying Daisy.

And he can't move, he can't _leave-_

He can only stare, stare at what was once Pippa, is now Daisy.

His daughter.

His beautiful girl who grew up to be a woman. 

_No, no, no, no, please, please, anyone but her, anyone but Daisy, please-_

He can't move. 

He can't look away.

Only stare at the face of his daughter who's eyes were closed.

Only stare at the face of his daughther who was dead and wouldn't come back. Who wouldn't say something anymore, go joke with him. She would never be able to grow up anymore. 

_Please no, please don't do this, she doesn't deserve this-_

He feels someone at his shoulder and he opens his eyes.

The river was all gone, it was all replaced by his office at the station.

He wasn't aware of anything until he felt a slap.

"Ow!" he puts his hand at his slapped cheek and looks up, to see Ellie Miller looking at him like he had done something wrong. "What?"

"Sleeping at work? Seriously?" she sounded frustrated but also worried. "If you're tired-"

"I'm not tired," he interrupted her. He wasn't. He just.. he just fell asleep.

He glanced at her. She sighed and sat down, her eyes full of concern.

"What did you mean with that?" she asked.

"What?"

"When you said, 'she doesn't deserve this'. What do you mean with that?"

Shit. Did he really say that out loud?

 _Good going Hardy,_ he scolded himself. 

"Nothing," he said. 

"Alec, I know you well enough that something is wrong," she said, ignoring his groan at his name.

He rubbed his face with his hands and they stared at each other what felt like forever until he broke the silence.

"...I had a nightmare."

"Want to tell me about it?" 

He didn't. He really wanted to tell her she could leave and that it wasn't any of her business, but he didn't want to be a burden to her.

"..I was in the river," he said quietly and closed his eyes and tried to think of anything else but _that._ "I... I wanted to leave the river but I couldn't. I kept going forward until I.. until I carried Pippa out of the water." _I still feel her weight against me,_ isn't being said but he knows Ellie is aware of that. "Her face changed. Into Daisy. And.. I couldn't look away. I couldn't move. I couldn't-" he stopped when his voice broke down and he opened his eyes, trying to hold in his tears.

"Hey, hey. It's okay." she came over to him, took hold of his hand and held it gently. "It's okay."

"Daisy- she-"

"Daisy's alive and well," Ellie said. "Why don't you call her?"

He nodded slowly and contacted his daughter.

He was met with voicemail.

He let his tears fall. What if it was real after all? What if she-

He called again.

Voicemail.

He called again.

"Dad?" he heard at the other line.

She answered.

She was there.

He let out a breath of relief. "Daisy.. are.. are you doing alright now?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound like shit.

"Yeah of course," her voice sounded confident.

She was alright.

"Dad, are you okay?" Daisy asked after a while.

"Of course, darling. Just... needed to hear your voice." 

"Okay," she answered, wanting to press further but didn't. It was silent for a few minutes. "Gotta go, have to meet up with Chloe."

Right. "Okay.. love you."

"Love you too!" she said and hanged up.

He dropped his phone back on to the table, and let his head drop, tears falling. "She's alright," he said. "She's alright. She's safe." 

"Of course she is," Ellie said and still not letting go of his hand. 

"She's not dead."

"She isn't. She's safe."

Ellie gave him a hug and he accepted it.

Daisy was alright.

There was nothing wrong with her.

He was relieved.


End file.
